Hexagram 33
天山遁
Retreat
Hexagram 33, Dun (Retreat), is Mountain beneath Heaven - the mountain standing firm while heaven recedes into the distance above it.
Upper Trigram
☰
乾 (金)
Lower Trigram
☶
艮 (土)
Palace
乾 Palace
Shi / Ying Lines
Shi: Line 2 · Ying: Line 5
The 乾 trigram (金) sits above the 艮 trigram (土), forming 天山遁. This hexagram belongs to the 乾 Palace.
Judgment (卦辞)
Retreat. Success. In what is small, perseverance furthers.
Judgment text follows the Wilhelm–Baynes translation (The I Ching or Book of Changes, Princeton University Press), quoted for commentary.
Image (象辞)
Mountain under heaven: the image of Retreat.
Line Texts (爻辞)
At the tail in retreat. This is dangerous. (遁尾)
He holds him fast with yellow oxhide. (执之用黄牛之革)
A halted retreat is nerve-wracking. (系遁)
Voluntary retreat brings good fortune. (好遁)
Friendly retreat. Perseverance brings good fortune. (嘉遁)
Cheerful retreat. Everything serves to further. (肥遁)
Hexagram 33 in Love & Relationships
Relationships: Some arguments are won by stepping away. Retreat preserves what force would destroy.
Hexagram 33 in Career & Decisions
Career: When a situation turns hostile or futile, withdrawing your energy is not quitting - it is repositioning.
Hexagram 33 as a yes / no answer
Depends on timing
The hexagram counsels timing and care: the answer depends on how and when you proceed.
The I Ching reads situations, not fixed outcomes — your reading can weigh the moving lines with this leaning.
In-Depth Analysis[+]
Hexagram 33, Dun (Retreat), is Mountain beneath Heaven - the mountain standing firm while heaven recedes into the distance above it. Two yin lines are growing from below, and the wise recognize when rising opposition makes a graceful withdrawal the strategic choice. The judgment affirms 'Retreat. Success.' - retreat here is not defeat but timing. The lines trace the spectrum from the dangerous tail-end retreat to the cheerful, willing retreat of the final line, where withdrawal becomes a triumph of judgment. Dun teaches that knowing when to step back is as much a form of strength as knowing when to advance.
Historical Stories[+]
Zhang Liang, the strategist who helped found the Han dynasty, retired to a hermitage at the height of his power, sensing that remaining would invite jealousy and danger - the classic 'cheerful retreat.'
Einstein's flight from Nazi Germany in 1933: by leaving early, when others hesitated, he preserved his work and his life - retreat as strategic foresight rather than cowardice.
Practical Applications[+]
Career: When a situation turns hostile or futile, withdrawing your energy is not quitting - it is repositioning.
Relationships: Some arguments are won by stepping away. Retreat preserves what force would destroy.
Personal Growth: Learn to distinguish between giving up and wisely stepping back. They look similar but lead opposite directions.
Classical Sources for Hexagram 33
黄金策 (The Golden Strategy)明 (Ming Dynasty, 1368–1644)
The subject-category diagnostic framework and its mnemonic verse formulas for common life-domain questions.
Related Hexagrams
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